Nina has been staying up late lately, she said she was working on something in the basement. Cilan noticed this and wondered what she was up to.
Suddenly, Burgundy playfully pounced on him. ["Lani~!"] She purred. The two had became very close over the pass week, it's kinda hard to believe that Burgundy once tried to convinced herself to hate him. Now she loves him unconditionally. Burgundy sighed as she snuggled in Cilan's fur. ["Hello, Bibi~!"] The two Espeons have been calling each other by those names for quite a while. They somewhat acted like children at times and yet, they still have their knowledge of their true age.
Later that day, Nina and Mia were baking sweets for the annual festival. Cilan decided to help, since he was very experienced when it comes to food. "Cilan, can you pass me the sugar?" Nina asked. Cilan nodded and pushed a large bag of white sugar towards them. ["Here you go Nina!"] "Thanks!"
Burgundy walked into room, the scent of brownies and other goodies lingered in the air.
["Mmm~! Something smells so good~!"] ["Burgundy, we're baking sweets the upcoming festival. Do you want to help?"]
["M-moi? I-I really couldn't-"] ["We're making a red velvet cake next."]
["R-really?"] 'Red velvet is my favorite! It's been years since I've last tasted it...'
Burgundy agreed to help with the cake. Nina read the ingredients. "Alright, let's see... we'll need 7/10 cups of unsalted butter, 2 cups of sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. of vanilla extract, 2 ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup of cocoa powder... Um..." She turned the page. "1 tsp. of baking soda, ½ tsp. of baking powder, ¼ tsp. of salt, 1 ½ cups of buttermilk, 1 ½ tbsp. of white vinegar and 1 tsp. of red food colouring, you know, to give the cake that red colour."
["I know a frosting recipe. Is it alright if I make the frosting whiles you bake the cake?"] "OK! You and Burgundy make the frosting and Mia and I will bake the cake." "Yeah! But first, dress up time~!" Mia cheered. Mia dressed the two Espeons with tiny aprons, as well as a cooking hat for Burgundy and a tall chef's hat for Cilan.
["Not again!"] ["Cheer up! Besides, you look adorable, Bibi~!"]
["O-oh, um, l-let's just get started on the frosting..."]
["Alright. We will need 1 cup of butter, 1 ½ pkg. of cream cheese, 4 cup of icing sugar and 1 ½ tsp. of vanilla extract."]
["We need to beat the butter first, right?"] ["Yep."] ["OK. I'll get the electric mixer."]
["Really? Are you sure you don't need help?"] ["N-non, I'm fine..."]
Cilan put the butter in a bowl as Burgundy tried to bring the mixer out of the cover but it was really heavy and she could barely lift it. ["Uggh! C-come on! Waah!"] Burgundy suddenly slipped! "ESPEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOON!" The mixer landed on top of Burgundy.
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'Uggh, huh?' ["W-what... happened?"] ["Burgundy, are you alright?"] ["H-huh?"] Burgundy was now fully awaken and then she realized was wearing an E-Collar. (AKA "The Cone of Shame" for those of you that don't know what an E-Collar is...)
["W-W-W-WHY DO I HAVE THIS AROUND MY NECK?!"] ["You hurt yourself pretty badly..."]
["R-really...? Ow!"] ["P-please, don't struggle like that!"]
["D-désolé... Cilan?"] ["Yes?"]
["How long do I have to wear this silly thing?"] ["Nina said that it might take about two weeks to heal."]
["T-two weeks?!"] ["Don't worry. I'll take care of you."]
["Really?"] ["Really."]
["Oh merci, Cilan... You know, I would hug you if it weren't for this stupid cone! I can barely see a thing with this on!"]
Cilan smiled as he snuggled against Burgundy.
["Eep!"] ["Maybe that's a good thing. It won't ruin the surprise."]
["S-surprise?"] ["Yep, stay right here and I'll be right back..."]
Cilan left the room. Burgundy smell a sweet scent in the air, it was fill with the aroma of that delicious red velvet cake. 'Mmm~! It smells so good~! Huh? What? Am I drooling? Non! Arrête! This is unladylike. If Cilan sees this...! Arrête, arrête, arrête!' She heard his foot- or, uh, pawsteps coming. ["Eep!"] 'Stop drooling, stop drooling, stop drooling, stop drooling, stop drooling!'
["Bibi~! Huh? What's wrong?"] ["N-nothing!"]
["Why is the fur on your cheek so damp?"] ["U-uh..."]
["...Here."] He said with a chuckle. ["H-huh?"] The lilac coloured Espeon looked and saw a red velvet cupcake. ["F-for me...?"] Cilan respond with a nod. ["You know, I can't eat this with this stupid cone on my head."] ["Heh-heh... Here, let me help you."] He carefully removed the paper from the cupcake. ["Alright, now lie down."] ["O-OK..."] Burgundy lay down on her stomach. The Shiny Espeon held the red velvet cupcake right in front of her muzzle. Burgundy took small bites out of the red velvet cupcake. ["Mmm~!"] ["Do you like it?"] Burgundy tried to nod, but the cone stopped her. ["Ah! Ow...! Ça fait mal..."] She whined like a Lillipup in pain. ["Burgundy, don't move. You'll hurt yourself... Besides, I already knew you'll love it."] Burgundy remained quiet. ["Love you Bibi~!"] He said as he gave her a small peck. Burgundy quickly finished off her cupcake. ["Here, I brought you something~"] Cilan said cheerfully. That's was when Burgundy heard a familiar squeak. The Shiny Espeon was holding a chew toy. Burgundy bit onto the other end of the toy and tugged on it playfully. ["I love you too Lani..."] She said so quietly that her rival can hardly hear her.
["But how did you know?"] ["I saw the way you looked at me when I said that we're were baking a red velvet cake."]
["T-that was nothing..."] ["Oh, really?"]
["O-oui..."] ["That's too bad... I would've start making many more of your favorite foods if you ask me to..."]
["Huh? More?"] ["Yep! Oh well..."]
["W-wait...!"] ["Hmm?"]
Cilan had a sly smile on his face. ["Wait... A-are you teasing me?"] Her rival nodded his head. ["C-Cilan!"] She yelled. Cilan chuckled as he stroked the fur behind her right ear with his paw. Burgundy's left leg suddenly started twitching.
["A-ah! M-m-ma jambe...!"] ["You're so cute."]
["C-Cilan... Purr~ purr~!"] Burgundy slowly closed her lilac eyes as she laid her head down on his lap. ["Mmm..."] 'It feels like I just might melt! My leg won't stop twitching, but why? Is this a normal reaction a Pokémon would get? Maybe... I guess it doesn't matter... Not right now...' ["Purr~ Cilan~ Nnnn~"] Burgundy started chewing on the chew toy as Cilan's tail wrapped around her small, furry body. She sighed happily.
["Cilan..."] ["Yes?"]
["I was wondering, when do you think Nina would change us back?"] ["I don't know, but pretty sure she's trying her best to find a way."]
["Are you sure...?"] ["Yes, I'm positive."]
["Well... alright then..."] 'I hope he's right about that.'
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Throughout the week Cilan helped Burgundy, he took care of her wounds and kept her well fed. The way he was taking care of her like this reminds Burgundy of when Cilan was a human, when he was petting her, playing with her, giving her... baths... She blushed just thinking about those things.
One day, Burgundy was licking herself clean after a nice meal. She was getting used to licking herself like this but it was difficult with her E-Collar on. She had a hard time reaching certain areas on her fuzzy little body but she managed to clean herself. The Espeon relaxed on the sofa afterward. She was bathe in warm sunlight from the window. ["Nnnn... Purr~"] 'The sun feels so good~! It's almost feel like I have a special connection with it. Now that I think about it... Espeons are known as Sun Pokémon. It makes sense that I would feel a connection with the sun. This collar is really bugging me though. I wish I can get rid of it, but Cilan said it would take two weeks for me to heal...' Suddenly, Burgundy's body started glowing. ["H-huh?"] Rays of light shined out of her body. She felt her little Espeon body absorbing the sunlight's energy. ["W-what's... happening... to my body..."]
She turned her head around and realized... ["It... doesn't... hurt...? I-it doesn't hurt anymore... My neck doesn't hurt anymore!"]
Burgundy tried to push the cone off her neck. ["Uggh! Nuggh! Uggh! Why won't it come off... I-it's stuck! Maybe if I..."] She felt her Psychic energy flowing through her body. ["Uggh! Come on! Focus...!"] The gem on her forehead started to glow as she felt intense pressure from it. ["Ahh... Uggh..."] She heard the plastic cone cracked.
Snap! The E-Collar broke in half. ["I-I'm free..."] She said quietly as her tail started wagging. ["I can finally move my head properly again~! That move I used just now... What was it...? My powers are getting stronger..."]
"It was Morning Sun." Burgundy turned around and saw Nina. ["Oh, hi Nina!"] "Hey." she said. "I see you're all better." ["Yeah..."] "By the way, you haven't seen Joltik, have you? I think he took my spare batteries..." ["Non..."] "Oh, I see..."
Burgundy was tempted to ask her a few questions. ["N-Nina...?"] "Yes?" ["Can I ask you something?"] "Sure, what's up?" ["How did you end up like that? You know, becoming a Ninetales."]
"W-well... it happened when I was a little girl." ["Really?"] "Yes, I was ill back then and my father wished that I would live a long life... It's a long story, you probably don't wanna hear it." ["Oh, I see..."] "Anyways, I better go pick up Mia from school. See ya!" ["Au revoir!"] Nina put on her shoes and left the house.
10 minutes later...
Burgundy continued to relax on the sofa, when suddenly Lucy came and pounced on her.
["Ahh! H-hey!"] ["Burgundy, come with me, there's something I wanna show you!"]
["W-what is it?"] ["Oh you'll see!"]
["Why do I have a bad feeling about this?!"]
The Luxio dragged Burgundy off by the tail. ["Ow! Not again..."]
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Lucy and her friends meet up with Burgundy in the bathroom.
["You're gonna do what to me?"] ["We just wanna dress you up a bit."]
["'A bit...?'"] ["Don't worry!"] They said as they brushed her fur. ["We'll make you look very nice."]
["I don't know..."] ["Come on! Don't be so passive!"]
["Passive?! I'm not passive!"] The trio of friends stared at Burgundy, they whispered to each other and then giggled. ["W-what's so funny?"]
["Now we're definitely gonna make you look cute!"] ["Super cute!"]
["U-um..."] ["Relax! You'll be just fine!"]
The Fletchinder tied a bow on her head whiles Lucy had trouble wrapping a stylish scarf around Burgundy's neck. ["Macy, can you help me out?"] The Shiny Luxio asked the Mienfoo. ["OK!"] She answered.
When they were done with her, Burgundy looked in the mirror. 'Whoa...! Do I really look... this cute...?' She stared at her reflection, eye-to-eye
["That scarf around your neck really brings out your eyes."] ["R-really?"]
["Of course!"] ["...Why are you being so nice to me?"]
["Well, I wanted to do something for you."] ["Really?"]
["Yeah... I was feeling kinda guilty..."] ["Guilty?! Pourquoi?"]
["About what happened between us before. So what do'ya say, friends?"] ["...Oui."]
Burgundy touched Lucy's paw and "shook hands" with her. She suddenly felt a small shock.
["Oww!"] ["Sorry! I'm still getting use to my claws. It's turns out they have electricity sparking from them, I have a hard time controlling it."]
["Trust me, I know how you feel."] ["I know! You can teach us!"]
["Huh?!"] ["You've been in a Pokémon's body longer than us."]
["W-well... OK... I guess..."] ["Yeah!"]
["I'm a Psychic type though..."] ["That's OK, there's gotta be at least one move you can teach us!"]
["OK, maybe I'll teach you girls later."]
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It was dinner time and Cilan was helping Nina with the cooking. ["Where's Burgundy? She's going to miss dinner."] "I think she's outside. You can go get her, I'll stay here and finish things off." ["OK!"] Cilan went outside to find Burgundy. She was spying on the neighbors from the bushes, they were a nice married couple enjoying a BBQ in the backyard. The husband was distracted by his wife, causing his hand to get burnt on the grill. His wife quickly took care of it while scolding him to be more careful. The Espeon sighed quietly.
["It must be nice to be married..."] ["Hi Burgundy!"]
["AAH! Cilan! Don't scare me like that!"] ["My apologies... It's time for dinner. What are you doing?"]
["N-nothing...!"] ["Why are you watching the neighbors?"]
["N-n-no reason..."] ["You're lying again."]
["I just don't wanna talk about it. Besides, it's not important!"] ["I see... Is it about that couple?"]
["Non! Of course not! I barely know anything about them!"] ["Hmm... Well, dinner's ready. Let's go inside."]
["...Oui."] ["Oh, by the way..."]
["Huh? What is it?"] ["You look very pretty today."]
["Oh... T-thanks..."] Burgundy blushed as she stroked the scarf Lucy gave her.
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Burgundy ate her food very quietly.
["Burgundy? What's wrong? You're awfully quiet lately."] ["Oh! N-nothing, just daydreaming."]
["You don't normally daydream..."] ["W-well... I was just thinking... What do you think I'll be like as a... a-as a w-w-wife..."]
["H-huh...?!"] ["I-I-I mean I'm stubborn and moody and have extremely bad luck."]
["You not... that unlucky."] ["Oh really? Remember at Stonesthrow Town, you had a Pokémon battle with Ricard."]
["H-how did you-?"] ["I was hiding in the bushes and when your Crustle used Rock Wreaker, it hit me as well."]
["Really... Well... I'm sorry..."] ["Not only that, I honestly don't win that many Pokémon battles..."]
["Burgundy..."] ["I-I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going to bed, it was silly of me to bring this up."]
["Hmm..."]
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["Mmm... Zzzz..."] Cilan came and saw a sleeping Burgundy, lying down peacefully. 'I wonder what she's dreaming about...' He thought. 'Maybe I should go inside and check on her.' The Shiny Espeon laid down beside his lover. 'Burgundy... I'm coming into your dream.'
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"Burgundy! Burgundy! Where is she?" The Sommelier wondered through the forest. He saw Burgundy standing in front of a lake, staring at her reflection. "I'm such an idiot..." She mumbled. "Why did I asked those silly questions? I'm not even the 'bridal' type. But... he always takes care of me. I wonder... Does he ever get tired? I never done anything special for him, did I? Perhaps I should return a favor." Cilan heard her sincere words from far away. "'Not the bridal type' huh?" he said. "It's time for you to expose your true beauty."
Burgundy suddenly felt a strange but pleasant warmth emerging from her body. "Why... my body feels... H-huh...?" She looked down at her clothes as it begun to change.
"A... dress...?" She said as she looked down at the white fabric. "A wedding dress! But why?!" "Because you look beautiful in it, Burgundy." "Huh? C-Cilan..." She turned around and saw her rival wearing a tuxedo. Burgundy watched in awe, she had to admit, he looked pretty handsome in his suit. "Cilan... I guess I send you the wrong message..." "Huh...?" "You see, when I saw the neighbour's wife taking care of him after he burnt his hand, I realised that you always take care off me, but I never did anything for you... That's why I asked you what you think of me as a wife... Je suis désolé..." All of a sudden, Cilan started carrying her like a real bride. "That's alright, Burgundy..." He said. "I don't mind taking care of you, want to know why?" "Why?" "Because, Burgundy... I love to see you happy. Now, let me see that cute smile of yours." Burgundy gave her rival a nervous smile, which made him chuckle. He hugged her closely as her face turned slightly red. Cilan gave Burgundy a soft kiss on the forehead as she closed her eyes. "Cilan..."
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["...I love you~!"] She murmured. Burgundy slowly opened her eyes and saw her rival lying down right next to her. ["Did you enjoy your nap?"] He said. ["Oui, very much!"] She answered. ["Merci, Cilan."] Suddenly, her stomach started growling. The violet coloured Espeon covered her blushing face in embarrassment. Cilan laughed as he looked at her and said... ["Come on, let's go finish dinner."] ["Oui..."] The two Espeon went back to the kitchen and finish their dinner. The two of them were alone. Somehow, it was kinda like a dinner date, complete with lit candles and a nice picnic blanket to sit on. Surprisingly, the food was still warm. ["Is it just me, or is there more food here than before..."] ["I asked Nina to set this up for you."] ["Cilan... You're so nice to me, you just might spoil me if you keep this up~!"] ["It's like I said before, I love to see you happy!"] ["Well, let's eat."]
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The next day, Nina came up with something that surprised everyone. ["Huh? We're going out?"] Burgundy asked. "Yeah!" Nina answered. "You guys been in the house for a long time. It's about time you get some fresh air!" ["So, um, where are we going?"] Lucy asked. "Tee-hee, you will see, eventually!" ["Ooh! I'm so excited!"] Cheered the Fletchinder. ["Me too Fanny!"] ["Alright! Oh man, I can't wait to get started!"] Lucy and the others are pretty excited. Burgundy looked at Cilan. ["Maybe an outing will be good for us."] The Espeon said. ["I agree."] Her rival answered with a smile. ["Perhaps the two of us can spend some time together? Have some fun?"] ["That sounds nice..."]
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Nina and Mia are getting ready, packing up a few thing in their backpacks as well as bringing a cooler with drinks and tons of snacks. "Mia, don't forget your sunscreen!" "Aww, do I have to!" "Yes! Now come here!" "No way! I don't wanna!" The two sisters started arguing. Cilan noticed something, one of the items Nina brought was a box she brought from the basement. ["Nina? What's this?"] He asked. "Something very important. Please, don't touch it." Nina answered. ["Hmm..."]
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"Yahoo! To the car!" Mia shouted. "Mia!" Nina yelled. "Wait for us! You can be so impatient sometimes, you know that?" Mia hopped in the car while Nina packing all their things in the trunk. All the previously-human Pokémon (along with Joltik and Flabébé) hopped into the car afterwards. 'It's been a while since Cilan and I has gone out like this...' Burgundy thought. 'Maybe we should go on another date, maybe a nice long walk somewhere... Have some fun together... Oui, it's time to take this relationship further...' Nina sat down at the driver's seat. "Everyone's ready to go?" Everyone answer with a loud "Yeah!" "Alright then." The silver-haired girl chuckled. "Let's go!"
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The car drove down the road, heading towards a highway. All of the Pokémon were sleeping, with Lucy, Macy and Fanny bracing against Mia, snuggling close to each other. On the other side of the seat, the two Espeons were lying down next to each other, enjoying the warmth of the sun coming from the window. Joltik, Flabébé and Mia were the only passengers that were awake. Joltik was sitting on Mia's head while Flabébé was on her shoulders. Mia, unlike Nina, can't understand what the Pokémon are saying. "Nina...?" Said the little girl. "Yes, Mia." Her older sister answered. "When are you going to tell them?" "I'll tell them the whole story once we get there. OK?" "Alright..."
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Nina, although focused on driving, was worried. 'It has been so long...' She thought as she stopped at a red light. 'It's been so long since I've seen mom and dad...' She remembers the day that it happened like it was yesterday. When she was young, she came down with a rare and dangerous disease. Her parents were very worried. Her father was a scientist and her mother was an archeologist. When her mother discovered an ancient artifact, she brought in home with her. That artifact... It was the cause of it all. That artifact was said to grant wishes, but at a price... Luckily her father thought of a way to change her back to her human form but the amount of energy overloaded the machine he created to do so. Only Nina changed back. Her mother on the other hand...
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when the guy behind her honk his horn, yelling at her to move when the light turned green. Nina sighed as she droved off.